Am I “paying my dues” or being used?
Current situation: I’m trying to come up in the NYC nightlife scene. Now before I go into anything, if you aren’t familiar with the NYC nightlife scene, it is in a very corrupt time. So basically there’s a handful of promotion groups that handle promotions for all the nightclubs in NYC. Clubs hire out these promo groups to do nights at their clubs and get their DJ’s/Promoters to come in. The promo company only has a budget for their headlining DJ (or that’s what they want you to believe). They REFUSE to pay their opening and closing DJ’s a DJ fee, but instead a promo fee based on how many people they bring. This is a dilemma all over the city. Most of the headlining club DJ’s in NYC are signed to a DJ management group and usually have a booking agent. The booking agents at these management groups works with the promotional companies to get their DJ’s (which are the headliners) bookings. DJ’s who are veterans and have been in the game for years usually go straight through the clubs for their bookings.
Now there’s me. I’m a young kid (early 20’s) who has a decent following and can bring people out on a weekly basis, along with spinning exceptionally well. I never like to say I’m a good DJ because I don’t want to come off as cocky. I’ve spun in the city a handful of times under different promoters, all for the same compensation. Either free, or being paid on how many people I bring. It also takes about 2 weeks to get paid the little bit of money I’ve made off my friends. Apparently according to the last guy who booked me to close for their headlining DJ, I need to “pay my dues” in order to become a headlining DJ. That means not getting paid to DJ, doing favors for DJ’s such as opening or closing for them, and bringing people out every time I DJ. I’ll get an extra $50 if I get a table that buys at least 2 bottles. It’s almost like I’m an intern. I also have to provide transportation for myself, make sure the people I bring to the club get in and are satisfied, and DJ.
I recently got into an argument with the guy who last booked me because I turned down his offer to DJ this weekend, since there was no pay. I asked him what he pays opening DJ’s. His answer was “they don’t pay opening DJ’s in NYC”. He asked what I’d charge and I gave him a price. He was angry with the price I quoted him, and kept asking me who in NYC pays their opening DJ’s. I basically told him if there’s money being made I’d like a piece of the action even if it’s not a lot of money. Am I right for doing this or should I bend over and “pay my dues”? In a way, I’d be making an investment and would potentially become a headliner. On the other hand, I’m being used and feel like a slave to the industry. Promoters, bartenders, doormen/doorwomen, bouncers and everyone else is getting paid except for myself. I feel this just isn’t fair. Which is why I asked for a DJ fee. I talked with a DJ friend of mine who told me that the only way to make it in the city (these days) is through paying my dues the way I just explained. He says he pays his dues, and has gotten a few paid gigs through doing so. Not sure if this is just bullshit, or what. Any input on this would be appreciated.
EDIT: The excuse for going this route would be “if you really love what you do, then you’ll do anything it takes to pursue it”. But I’m not sure in this situation this is accurate. I know musicians do this all the time but is this how it will be for DJ’s as well?